


Fate or Something Better

by ashmandalc



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Little Red Riding Hood AU, Slow Build, Slow Burn, fairytale AU, little red riding rey and the big bad kylo, reylo au, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 00:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5647609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashmandalc/pseuds/ashmandalc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All she'd wanted was decent pay. The warnings she'd been given never said the wolves would come for her. In fact, they'd said the wolves would stay far away from her. She wasn't a part of this conflict.</p>
<p>She just wanted to get paid.</p>
<p>The monster in the shadows makes this especially difficult.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into the Woods

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Valoscope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valoscope/gifts).



> Prompted by Valoscope: Fairytale AU, Hurt/Comfort. Not as much hurt/comfort as was probably hoped, but this is what came out. There will hopefully be several more to follow.

The forest was chilly, which was such a deep contrast to what she was used to. The blaring heat of her desert left her ill prepared for mounds of snow and long, dark shadows. The same shadows that seemed to be moving all around her. The bright sun of her desert had kept most shadows at bay, and low in numbers. There was something in this forest with her. She could feel it.

Rey pulled the hood of her cloak tighter around her face. It was a deep red, and she bought it off a passing merchant, making its living selling things to those wishing to travel the wintry woodscape. The knitted gloves covering her hands were suitable for temporary use, but if she stayed out much longer, the cold would very well seep through.

A sudden growl to her left caused a sharp breath to leave her as her heart thundered in her ears. A howl, far too close for comfort, brought panic with it, and so she ran, feet trying to gain enough speed to let her leave this blasted horror forest far behind.

She could hear scuffling and perhaps a muffled laughter before something was pounding a run behind her, trying to keep up.

_Keep up? No, no. I’m playing, young woman. Now, run._

With a yelp, she jumped over a fallen limb, looking behind her to see one of the shadows moving swiftly over the snow. In the middle of jumping over another, her toe is caught and she falls. Hearing the monster’s deep chuckle, she scrambled away.

As it moved closer, the moon hit its face and she stared in awe.

He appeared to be a man, but she’d never known a man to have such sharp teeth in a wicked grin, eyes alight with a dark playfulness. His hair seemed to be black, and curled around his neck, framing his face. A dark tunic and pants covered his form, though his feet and hands were bare.

Were those… _claws_?

Another deep chuckle rumbles through his chest while she moves away. He pauses to sniff the air, and she shudders when his face falls, head tilted.

“You’re hurt.”

Rey finds it difficult to form words, so she swallows around her tongue instead. Her hands scrabble through the snow to find something, anything, that might protect her and let her leave this wretched place in one piece. Her cold fingers wrap around a branch hidden beneath a pile of snow, and she waits.

He draws closer slowly, clawed hands held at his side to pacify her, she supposes, though he’s failing horribly at it. When he kneels, she presses further against a tree at her back.

Slowly, he raises a clawed finger to her face, tracing her cheek. His eyes are intense, and just a bit solemn now. Her fingers wrap tighter yet around the branch.

“You’re bleeding.” he murmurs, and tucks his bottom lip beneath his teeth.

Her breath leaves her in quiet pants as he draws even closer. She feels the tip of his nose hit her temple, and feels something warm and wet on the side of her face.

As he pulls away, she screams and pulls the branch from hiding, making sure to hit his head hard enough to at least jostle him. When he falls with a groan, she jumps up and sprints away as best she can.

_This will not be the last time we meet, little red warrior._


	2. This Meeting Goes Not Much Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fell really hard really fast for this so expect more.

Her business in this place was done, or so she had thought. Months had passed before yet another call came. Another pick up and delivery needed from out in the middle of this horrible, dead place. Dead trees, dead grass.

_Dead hearts_ , she mused. She had tried her best to avoid this forest, wanting more pay and nothing more to do with the heartless creature that lived here. Something that found enjoyment in chasing helpless people _must_ be lacking a heart.

She came far more prepared this time, having her red cloak and a newer, thicker pair of gloves on hands that were fists at her sides. She kept her eyes open, and cautious, taking in every change in the scenery surrounding her. The snow crunching under boots was all she could hear. Her mind told her once more to go back and take the roads around the forest, but her wallet said faster travel equaled more money, so silent, dreadful forest it was.

Even woodland creatures stayed far away from here.

_This pay had better be worth it_ , she thinks, to crawl back into the den of the beast that tormented her so last time. This time, however, she kept in mind the weight of her staff strapped to her back. She would not be left hunting to improvise a weapon should the need arise again.

Or rather, should the need of a weapon give chase again.

She felt just as on edge and watched as she had last time, so it was with this feeling she knew something was with her again. She hoped there weren’t more like the monster she saw last time. 

Rey shuddered at the thought.

“I’m not going to hurt you unless I have to.” she hears. The words make her pause and take a deep breath. She looks over her shoulder, pushing at her hood to see him slowly leave the shadow of the deeper woods behind him. She turns to face him fully, hand poised above her shoulder to grasp her staff.

“Then what was last time?” she spits out, glaring and observant.

He backs away until he can press against a tree, keeping his hands behind him.

“I told you, I was playing, but should you attack, I will not hold back. I will choose life every time to being taken down by silly little red hooded girls.”

The choice of words startle her, confusion twisting her face as he scowls.

“…There have been other women here with red hoods?”

He considers her for a few silent moments, chin rising as he stares her down, a grin stretching his lips.

“Is this some new battle tactic your troop have created? Feign ignorance, bide your time, til you can take me out? Hmph. Your leaders are getting progressively sloppy.”

Rey frowns at his prideful grin, gleaming teeth and all, and lowers her hand from her shoulder.

“I’m a parts runner.” she says, watching his face for understanding. His eye twitches and his grin tightens into something more like a snarl.

“You think me to be an idiot?”

Rey feels her hands shake, and her eyes widen as he starts towards her, thinking nothing of leaping over a tall, broken stump. She wants to run, but running did nothing last time, except make him give chase. Instead she stands her ground, spine straight, jaw locked as her teeth grind.

She hears a growl rumble low in his chest as he glares at her down the long bridge of his nose. His lips, twisted in a snarl, quiver as he seems to fight to keep his mouth shut. She absently wonders if he’s trying not to chew her throat out, and silence her forever.

“Who. Are. You?” he pushes out through his teeth.

Gulping down air, she replies shakily, “Rey. Parts runner. Not from here, a-and I don’t know these red hooded girls or their leaders. I-I bought this from a merchant from my last trip. I’m from a desert so…not much need for something like this…and…and–”

“Shhh.” he whispers, pressing a clawed fingertip to her lips. Leaning close, he scowls and sniffs around her temple and the crown of her head, leaning down to press his nose against the back of her ear, and pulling away. His eyes are clear amber, but with a slight amount of something that might be construed as humor if she weren’t so anxious to get away.

The easy wicked grin that tilts his face has come back, and she can’t decide is she should be more afraid than when he was growling at her. His fingertip presses harder against her lips, running circles over them, his eyes watching the movement with a nonchalance she’s incapable of feeling at the moment.

“I believe you, Parts Runner Rey of the Desert. As a guest of this lovely wooded land, I feel I should warn you of something.”

“What?” she asks, pulling her face from his hand. He watches her move away with no little amount of satisfaction.

“There are wolves among this forest, and little red warriors would do well to keep their wits about them.” His eyes flash and teeth shine in the moonlight, and Rey feels her heart stutter.


	3. It's Time We Met

The call that Rey had been afraid of (and dreading) came a day ago, claiming that she would need to prepare once more for a trip to the ring of villages surrounding the frozen forest. The requirements were the usual and she was told it was paying standard fare (with that little bit extra if she could get it done faster).

(She prided herself on being fast.)

The path she’d taken previously through the forest had cut her time to a mere day instead of two or three, if she’d take the time to go around through the villages. Unfortunately, that swift path held the bane of her recent thoughts. The very reason she dreaded hearing her com alert her to a caller.

She really hoped he didn’t have a pack, because honestly one wolf was more than plenty to give her a migraine.

_Just my luck, there’ll be a thousand of them,_ Rey thought, feeling a heavy weight settle somewhere between her breasts at the thought.

Once aboard her ship, all her parts and necessities gathered and held together behind her, she set the course’s coordinates in the pilot interface, and started off to the stars.

The flight was slow going and quiet, peacefully so, and allowed her mind to wander at what she might do to avoid any conflict with the wolves. She could avoid the forest altogether, as this delivery was for a further village on the outskirts of the wooded area, and not the outpost centered in the middle. With only two ship docking bays between all the settlement areas combined, she’d be hard pressed to really find one close to her target destination. Either way, she’d be walking on foot for several miles, wrapped in naught but a woolen red cloak and her two layers of desert attire. Avoiding the wolves meant avoiding the quicker path, which would also mean less pay, and _is that really something she can afford?_

Upon landing, checking in with the guardsmen, and gathering her things about her once more, she found herself faced with a choice. Before her was the entrance to the dark forest. It seemed a perpetual storm cloud hung above it, casting it in an eerie sort of pallor. To her sides, the village roads ran on and on, the sun peeking out from behind a few stray clouds. As the sun shone on her, and she felt the muted heat behind her clothing, she eyed the road to her right.

She supposed the real question was _what price is she willing to put on her sanity and well-being?_

With a final glance to the forest, she pivots and turns right, knuckles wrapped tightly around the strap of her staff.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It’s another month before she gets the call again, and she’s standing once more by the forest entrance. The amount she’d been paid for the last trip hadn’t been enough to buy the food she needed to curb her appetite and water needs. The small portions she’d gotten had been rationed out as carefully as she could make it, but unfortunately, had not been enough to last three more days.

With a gurgle, her stomach spoke loud and clear.

_Go this way, or I quit, and I’m taking you down with me._

She raised her palm up to smooth against her belly, trying to calm it down. The fast route was the only way she could go, and as she’d been informed that this was to be her new dedicated trip, she’d better learn to like it.

Rey trudged forward with a sigh on her lips, pulling the cloak tighter around her as she had in the past, and just like the other times, once the village was out of sight, she felt eyes upon her. Using her foot, she kicked a bit of rotten wood from her path, and kept on as though nothing was wrong. It was just another usual day of parts delivery, and when she received her pay after this one, she was treating herself to one extra portion of food and water. At the thought, her stomach grumbled and clenched around the emptiness inside her.

She heard a huff somewhere behind her, and closed her eyes, opening them again only when she nearly tripped over a raised root. His chuckle brought a warmth to her face she hated. It caused her hands to tighten into fists, and her jaw to grind her teeth. Her spine was like steel, and the tension in her muscles made her feet fall heavier and heavier in the snow.

In her periphery, she spied him moving in closer, ever so slowly, as though trying to avoid spooking a wounded deer.

“If you’re going to cause me trouble, I’d suggest turning around and marching back to your den right now,” she says firmly. “I am in no sort of mood to deal with you today, and I sincerely hope you’ll respect that.”

Her stomach clenches and gurgles once more, and she heaves a sigh, wrapping an arm around her middle and curling over it. After a moment, she straightens and takes an purposeful deep breath.

He comes even closer, shortening his stride to match hers while eyeing her face. After a few moments, she lets out a huff and stops moving, turning towards him.

What do you want, she wants to say, but his eyes are so intensely focused on her, she feels herself shrinking before him. Several seconds in, she gets uncomfortable and starts to turn away, stopping only when a warm hand clamps over her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. His voice is low and smooth, quiet and easy.

She smells the scent of burnt wood and leaves as he steps closer, and her stomach calls out once more. She winces and looks away when his hand tightens on her shoulder.

“…I see. How long?”

Her voice cracks as she tells him, “Three days.”

She feels him stiffen beside her, his hand falling to rest at her elbow.

“Did they not pay you correctly from your last trip?”

She shakes her head, “No. I was paid. It just wasn’t enough to get all I needed.”

The wolf hums and looks down the path as they’d been heading that way, seeming to come to a conclusion after just moments.

“If I promise to help you, will you promise not to try to bash my skull in again?”

She turns to face him fully, brows drawn close and her lips pulled down to a frown.

“If you promise not to invade my personal space and lick my face again.”

The wolf rolls his eyes. “I was helping you!”

Rey waits a beat, taking the moment to look at his face, searching for clues that he might be lying. Upon finding nothing triggering her mental alarms, she reluctantly nods, and scrubs her face with her hands, missing his solemn nod as he turns his back to her. When she sees him again, he’s kneeling with his back to her, arms out at his sides.

“….What are you doing?” she asks.

“I know where the outpost is at the crossroads. I can get you there faster than you can right now.”

“And you expect me to ride on your back the whole way there?”

He scoffs, “As if you’re in any state to walk the whole way alone. I’m faster than you, I’m stronger than you, and right now you’re barely capable of breaking a twig. You’re lacking the energy needed, and I have it spades, _naturally_.”

She cautiously steps forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. When his hands grasp the back of her knees, her heart thunders in her ears, and when he stands, she gasps and tightens her grip on him.

“I thought you told me to beware of wolves in this forest.”

She feels his chest rumble with a low chuckle.

“I did, but any wolf with their head on straight wouldn’t attack a nearly half dead human. Especially one not a part of the Red Hood group. That would just be asking for trouble.”

She hums and leans her head against the nape of his neck.

“You never did tell me much about the Red Hood people. Who are they?”

His body coils tightly, teeth grinding before he bites out, “Disgusting filth! They protect users, rapists, and killers. If you had any sense, you’d stay far away from them, Rey.”

Rey grunts and shakes her head.

“If they pay, I have no choice. Boss says ‘ _Go here!_ ’, and I go.”

He grumbles and shifts her up a little higher, causing her nose to become buried in his thick, black hair. She pulls away, sputtering at the strands sticking to her mouth.

“Warn me next time, please?” she grouses.

He grunts and tightens his fingers around her legs. After a few more minutes in silence, she bites her lip and sighs.

“Hey. Can I ask you something?”

He tilts a look back over his shoulder at her, lips pursed.

“I suppose so.”

“What’s your name?”

The wolf stops moving to look back at her, eyes dark and bright all at once, and how does anyone do that?

“My name is Ben.” he answers quietly.

“Ben,” she mutters, testing the sound on her tongue.

“It’s…oddly nice to meet you, Ben. Except not really.”

With a snort, he’s moving again, but she can feel his body is less tense now. His steps seem to come lighter as she leans her head against his neck once more.

“That’s easily the most curious thing anyone has said to me in a while.” he says.

She pulls herself tighter to him, peeking over his shoulder to his face. Ben is trying to hide a smile, lips twitching as he tries to force them back down.

“And what was the last curious thing said to you?”

“ _Rey. Parts runner._ ” He says in something that might have been an imitation of her accent, teeth chomping and clicking before he settles into a wolfish grin while she stares at his face in mounting frustration.


End file.
